The threat to public safety in the Twin Cities from 2021 has spilled into the first seven weeks of 2022. A woman was shot and killed in St. Paul two days ago. In the last ten days, three people have been shot and killed in Minneapolis, including a sophomore quarterback from North Community High School, Deshaun Hill Jr. Less than two hours later, a bus driver was shot in his head through the windshield, but the wound is not life-threatening. In a separate incident, two men found shot in their car later died. And two weeks ago 15-year Jahmari Rice died from a gunshot, outside his school in Richfield. The impact of gun violence and other violent crime such as carjackings is an impediment to public health.
Everyone in the Twin Cities deserves the right to feel safe in their own neighborhoods. We need a more holistic and comprehensive approach to making our communities safer by working with community groups enacting crime prevention programs that go beyond policing. We need our government entities and funders to support these initiatives, to impact safety, and stop the bloodshed. AALF has identified more than a half dozen such efforts capable of being activated and expanded now. To learn more about any of these organizations and groups, click their links below or reach out to their contact, highlighted as well.
Until We Are All Free, Kevin Reese, kevin@uwaaf.com
Change Equals Opportunity, Jamil Jackson, change.equalsopportunity@yahoo.com
Man Up Club, Kory Dean, info@themanupclub.org
The Truce Center, Miki Lewis, MikiLewis@8218trucecenter.org
Minnesota Freedom Fund, Elizer Darris, eli.darris@darrisgroup.com
Mothers Against Community Gun Violence, LaTanya Black, latanyablack@macgv.com
21 Days of Peace, Shameka Bogan, info@21daysofpeacemn.com
For many, trauma remedy and healing are needed. Here are some resources to help you process pain.
The Healing Justice Foundation, created by Dr. Joi Lewis, is rooted in Black liberation and works to provide healing to Black people.
The Cultural Wellness Center is a transformative space offering classes, coaching, consulting that helps community members develop culturally based solutions. Led by Atum Azzahir, the center was started in Minneapolis in 1996.
Wellness Ways is a space to explore physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. They provide integrative psychotherapy, art expression, yoga, and meditation, led by Dr. Felicia Washington Sy.
Render Free is a shared lounge and workspace for self-identified Black and Brown women. They host events and feature wellness practitioners of color to support rest and healing.
The Zen Bin is a divinely ordained healing community utilizing Gospel, Hip-Hop, and R&B music to heal trauma, release stress and distractions.
Black Girl In Om is a wellness company founded by Lauren Ash that centers on the well-being of Black women, offering meditation, healing sessions, and a popular podcast.
The Maji ya Chai Land Sanctuary is an in-progress nature healing space centered on Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
The African American Child Wellness Institute supports the psychological and spiritual liberation of children of African descent and their families by providing mental health services and holistic wellness resources.
The Staff at AALF
Contact: info@aalftc.org.